June Atwood, 82, died peacefully, surrounded by loving family, on January 19, 2013, at the Rutland Hospital.

A gathering to honor her life will be held on January 26, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the West Rutland Legion Hall, 333 Pleasant Hts., West Rutland, Vermont. Memorial reflections will be shared at 2 p.m.

June is survived by her devoted husband of 34 years, Jordan “Fred” Atwood, and a large extended family. They met at a Newbury High School class reunion, having each already raised five adult children, respectively.

June was raised on a multi-generational dairy farm in Ryegate, Vermont. Her parents, Perley and Eldrie Whitcher, and two brothers, Charles and Perley (Skipe) predeceased her. Within the contexts of farm life and the Depression, she was instilled with the value of hard work and a “waste not, want not” ethic. There was a simplistic beauty that emanated from her childhood home with its music parlor, patchwork quilts, and cold cellar filled with canned food from productive gardens, berry bushes, and fruit trees. From a young age, June loved school and valued education. She pursued a teaching degree at Lyndon State College and was a teacher for almost four decades. Upon retirement, she ran a furniture business, with her husband, Fred, and started a home-based preschool, which is a source of fond memories for particular grandchildren who attended.

June was a tireless volunteer whose energy manifested in a variety of ways, including being a participating member of: the West Rutland School Board, the Vermont Teacher’s Retirement Association, and the Out of Tuners, a choral group that performed at local nursing homes. She also provided literacy tutoring at the local prison and started the local Bone Builders group, a health initiative for preventing osteoporosis. June was an active member of the Eastern Stars, parallel to Fred’s participation in the Masons. June was an avid reader, enjoyed knitting, and the study of genealogy.

Our family is indebted to June’s eldest daughters, particularly Betty Hayes, for providing and managing loving in-home care for our mother and step-father for many years and the excellent nursing care received at Rutland Hospital in the last days of our mother’s life.